The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive-Chapter 64

However, when I arrived at the top of the stairs, the whispers of the servants became audible. They were walking towards me.

“Did you hear? They say His Highness Rowell is going to marry Lady Laila.”

“Isn’t it just rumors in the newspapers?”

“Someone heard it directly. And you know, lately, the prince’s mood hasn’t been great.”

I stopped in my tracks. The servants soon disappeared in the opposite direction, and their voices faded away. I felt uneasy.

Did I hear that correctly? Or did I misunderstand?

Just then, someone stopped in front of me. I slowly lifted my head to find the butler looking at me cautiously.

“Lady Laila?” The butler might know about what the servants had gossiped about earlier.

I asked him without hesitation, “Is it true that Rowell said he’s going to marry me?”

“That, well…”

“I overheard the servants talking about it, and they even said it was in the newspapers?”

I still couldn’t believe it.

He was reluctant to answer, almost dropping on the floor in shock, but managed to hold on. Now that I thought about it, I had noticed him trying to hide the newspaper earlier.

“Where is Ardion right now?”

The butler paused for a moment before answering, “He has gone to the House of Nobles.”

“The House of Nobles?”

“They’ve already opposed the crown prince’s marriage at the temple. If the House of Nobles opposes it too, the marriage won’t be approved.”

I couldn’t believe that such an important matter had been kept from me. I felt betrayed by the secrecy about such important news.

Why was he hiding it from me?

I stiffly asked the butler, “So, what exactly is Ardion doing there?”

“He’ll be speaking to the nobles who are on our side. The more opposition there is to the crown prince’s marriage, the less likely it is that the House of Nobles will approve it.”

Hearing that, I felt more ashamed and small. If I came from a prominent family, I might have been able to help in some way.

But just in case, I said, “Is there any way to stop the marriage between Rowell and me?”

“There is a noblewoman with some influence in the House of Nobles. Duchess Heverun has great sway over matters concerning imperial marriages. She’s a distant relative of the prince.”

“Could I possibly ask for her help?”

“You can, but the duchess is a difficult person to please, and she also doesn’t like to be involved in matters like this. She’s strong-willed.”

Hearing that, I felt I had to take matters into my own hands. After all, I had always been pretty good at pleasing people since I was at Duke Orchid’s mansion. I needed to learn how to survive there…

There was no reason I couldn’t do the same now.

“Do you know what Duchess Heverun likes?”

The butler thought for a moment. “As far as I know, she’s especially fond of chocolate chip cookies. She particularly loves ones with a lot of chocolate chips.”

I nodded.

The chocolate chip cookies I had eaten here were quite good. Now that I knew what the duchess liked, that was half the battle.

“Could you ask the kitchen to make chocolate chip cookies with lots of chocolate chips?”

“Lady Laila, are you planning to visit the duchess?”

“Well, we won’t know unless we try, right?”

The butler looked at me with a stern face, then nodded. “His Highness will also try his best, but I suppose your idea makes sense as well.”

With that, he bowed and descended the stairs.

I stood there for a moment before calling out to him. “By the way, what happens if Ardion and I get married in this situation? I mean, when they’re deciding whether or not to approve Rowell’s marriage?”

“According to customs, since the crown prince has already submitted his paperwork, the prince can only marry later.”

I felt a surge of frustration. Rowell was trouble, always stirring up chaos. If I had known it would come to this, I should have urged Ardion to get married sooner. It wouldn't be so bad now if we had rushed into it.

I tightened my grip on the glass dish and walked back to my room. When I arrived, I handed the dish to Derol.

His eyes widened, and he rushed over to thank me politely. “Thank you so much, Master. I will enjoy it.”

“If you need more, just let me know. I’ll bring you more.”

“No, this is plenty. Thank you.” Derol seemed pleased as he rubbed his whiskers.

I watched him eat the mealworms without hesitation. Maybe the protein was good for him—his hands moved quickly.

I turned away. The blue sky outside the window was beautiful. The weather was clear, without a cloud in the sky. But I didn’t feel good. It was like there was a cloud hanging over me.

But I knew that the cloud would disappear if I just let the wind blow it away. It would soon be gone.

Around lunchtime, the butler knocked on my door. “Lady Laila, the chocolate chip cookies are ready. We haven’t been able to contact the duchess’s mansion, but if you tell them you’ve come with chocolate chip cookies, they should let you in.”

“Is she really that fond of them?” I asked in surprise.

The butler nodded.

I looked at the cookies the butler handed me. They were nicely wrapped and looked quite elegant.

At that moment, Derol stood on his two feet and sniffed the air. “Master, it smells delicious.”

“Derol, would you like to come with me?”

“Where are we going?”

“To the duchess’s mansion. But if you come with me, you can’t show your face. We have to approach her carefully.”

“It’s fine, as long as I’m with you.”

I picked Derol up and put him in my pocket. Just to be safe, I grabbed some money and asked the butler, “Is there anything else the duchess likes besides chocolate chip cookies?”

The butler spoke calmly, and I listened carefully, mentally taking notes.

“So, Duchess Heverun likes chocolate chip cookies, loves a bright, smiling face, and...?”

“Of course, it’s a given that she expects to be treated well, and with her identity, it is wise to please her.”

Pleasing people was something I had done all my life at Duke Orchid’s mansion. No matter how difficult a person was, they weren’t that hard to please when it came to things they liked.

“How is the duchess doing now?”

“It’s been five years since her husband passed away, and her son and his wife live in a quiet seaside town.”

I absorbed everything the butler told me. Since I was going to try to please the duchess, it was essential to know everything about her.

“And is there anything the duchess is afraid of or dislikes?”

The butler thought for a moment before answering, “I’ve heard she dislikes small insects. At a ball once, she left as soon as one appeared.”

I nodded. I felt like I had gathered enough information about the duchess.

“I’ll be off then.”

But the butler was cautious and said, “Lady Laila, are you sure you’re well enough to go out?”

“I’m fine now. I think it’ll be good to move around a little and get some exercise while I’m feeling better.”

“Yet His Highness will be anxious.”

Hearing that made me question whether I was doing the right thing. But I couldn’t just lie in bed. At least if I moved around, I might get something out of it.

“Don’t worry too much. After all, I’ve been safe every time, haven’t I?”

The butler nodded, though his face remained stern. I noticed his expression, and it bothered me.

“If I go out, will Ardion say anything?”

“… His Highness will be worried, but I’ll explain things well.”

“Just don’t overdo it. If Ardion asks, you can tell him I insisted on going, and you tried to stop me.”

"But…”

"I'll be just fine."

I opened the door and stepped outside. The weather outside was clear.

Derol said, "Master, I hope you get through today safely."

I nodded and patted Derol on the head.

❋ ❋ ❋

I rode a carriage from Ardion's mansion. It didn't take much time to get to Duchess Heverun's mansion. At least I felt more at ease than when I went to Rowell's palace.

Anyway, pleasing others suited me better than eating mana.

The swiftly moving carriage slowed down as I looked out the carriage window. The many mountain ranges were magnificent. I could tell that the place I was looking at belonged to a prestigious family.

The carriage was about to reach my destination.

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A few minutes later, I got out of the carriage. A gatekeeper was standing in front of the iron gate, and there were also private soldiers with swords acting as guards.

I approached them. "I'm here to deliver chocolate chip cookies. May I enter?"

They just checked if I had any weapons on me and then immediately stepped aside. The words ‘chocolate chip cookies’ were like a key to a secret door. The door would open with just that term.

I slowly stepped through the gate. The grass felt soft against my shoes.

Derol poked his head out. “I guess Duchess Heverun really likes chocolate chip cookies. You can tell by the way she let us in without any suspicion.”

“That’s right. She wouldn’t do that otherwise.”

I looked at the fancily-wrapped chocolate chip cookies. The chefs at Ardion’s mansion were skilled. The chocolate chip cookies I had once tasted were particularly unforgettable.

Someone happened to be standing by the mansion door.

Derol looked around and then dove into my pocket.